Music is GREAT - Part 2

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Music is GREAT - Part 2

Richard's musical journey continues with the opening night of Aida at the Royal Albert Hall. Then it's off to Southampton to find out how great British music is entertaining and helping people from all walks of life.

Transcript

From festival fun to the glamour of opera. This is the magnificent Royal Albert Hall in London.

Tonight is press night for their new production of Aida… and for some reason they’ve let me in… although I'm not entirely sure if I’m dressed for the occasion.

The Royal Albert Hall, named after Queen Victoria’s husband, opened in 1871. It’s been busy hosting music and performance events ever since.

Tonight it’s all about opera. Verdi’s Aida is a love story about a princess and a soldier. This production is presented by the Royal Albert Hall and Raymond Gubbay Ltd and features the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Jasper Hope is the chief operating officer here at the Royal Albert Hall.

Richard: Jasper, this is such an incredible building. Tell me about it.

Jasper: Thank you. Well, this is the ceremonial entrance of the Royal Albert Hall, and we are 140 years old, and probably the world's most famous stage.

Richard: And what's your favourite thing about the Royal Albert Hall?

Jasper: Seeing the audience's reaction, I think, to walking in for the first time.

Richard: So, in your opinion, what is so great about great British music?

Jasper: Well, just think about this building and the stage, and who we've hosted over the years. Edward Elgar, The Beatles, Yehudi Menuhin, the Rolling Stones, Adele, you name it, they've all played here. That is great British music.

Music is at the heart of British culture and is used as a way of reaching out to young people and disadvantaged groups.

This is Southampton on the south coast. Now, a shopping centre is the last place I’d expect to find music talent. But inside, there's a music project that is making a big difference to kids' lives.

SoCo may be a small team but they are making a big difference. Known as The Hub, it’s a space perfect for creating music for all ages. Here musicians take to the stage, record balcony sessions for up-and-coming bands and have workshops in many creative activities.

Matt Salvage runs the project.

Richard: Matt, this is a fantastic project. Tell me about it.

Matt: Well, it's a space where people can come and get involved in music. We work with lots of different groups of people who can engage with music-making and arts.

Richard: So what happens here?

Matt: We do all sorts of stuff here, whether it's an opportunity for people to write music, get involved in a project that we've got running, or people can do recording or performance.

Richard: So who comes here?

Matt: We get a real mixture of people coming here. The project was set up really to help disadvantaged groups, so we work with young people, we work with homeless people, people with drug problems, older people, we run a mental health music group, and it's really just people who wouldn't be able to otherwise access projects like this.

Richard: Is it making a difference?

Matt: I think it's really making a difference. Just by having this space here and allowing people to come and get involved in something that's creative, something that they can be passionate about, it gives them a really positive focus.

Richard: That's great, Matt. Can I have a go?

Matt: Yeah, go for it!

What an amazing musical journey I’ve had. And who knows? Maybe someone out there will notice my talent...

Comments

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Hello everyone..
☆ Richard show off his musical skills at the end of the video.... What are yours?
☆ Do you play a musical instrument or sing?
☆ Did you do it as a child?
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Unfortunately, no one of the instruments that Richard played in the video is really my thing. I've never seriously played an instrument. I once tried learning to play the guitar when I was 12 years old but it didn't work out for me. However, I'd like to learn it again if I ever get the chance.

Me and Richard could form a band because we have quite a similar level of skills in music. I don’t play any musical instruments and sing only in a shower or when I’m really excited and there’re not many people around. I just don’t want to hurt ones’ ears.
When I was a child I even recorded me singing a song. Unfortunately, the cassette was lost long time ago and I won’t ever have a chance to laugh at myself again. It sounded really depressing, actually, but in a good, funny way. I tried to play the guitar but it never went further than just an awkward strum. I might learn how to do it sometime because I really like music and think that playing it yourself would be awesome.

I was very fond of rock music years ago. I used to listen rock and indie bands (Nirvana, Bush, Placebo...) when I was a teenager. I started to play guitar quite late, I was maybe 17, but I improved quickly. Some friends asked me to join their garage band as a bass player and.....that day I felt like a big rockstar. Anyway, after three years of unpaid exhibition, the bend split up and each member went along his own university carreer. But the love for music never ends

Unfortunately I am not a musically gifted person, or my talent has not been discovered yet.
As a teen I had tried many times to take up playing the guitar, but at that point of my life I didn`t have time management skills and I was a study nerd so I didn`t have time for training enough then I failed it.

It is really, really awesome to be musically gifted. Some people are just born with it, and some like me (forever wishes) to have this talent. I remember when I was young, I was singing a lot. At school, at neighborhood parties, and I was joining singing competitions in the community too! (Perhaps, they were only tolerating me because I was only a kid who's singing her heart out). I also played piano when I was young. My uncle has a grand piano at their house, where I learned how to play simple melodies and I can still play (up to this date) those songs like: Mary had a little Lamb, Doe a deer, Twinkle, twinkle little star, and of course Happy Birthday. Unfortunately, I never really had formal piano or singing lessons, maybe because it was really not my interest at that age. Still, even if I'm not musically gifted, my love for music will forever be part of me.